Within weeks of Xbox’s Phil Spencer announcing his retirement, Microsoft announced a significant leadership transition, with Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha stepping down from his role. Jha has overseen the company’s core productivity tools, including Microsoft 365, Office, Windows, and Copilot integrations. The executive revealed his plans to retire in July after more than 35 years with the tech giant.
Jha has been a key architect of Microsoft’s modern workplace ecosystem, transitioning out of his role as head of the Experiences and Devices organisation on July 1, 2026, before continuing in an advisory capacity to support continuity.
The retirement comes in the middle of a wave of senior departures at Microsoft, and during a critical phase when the company is deeply integrating generative AI into products like Microsoft 365, through partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic.
A peek into the journey of Rajesh Jha: From IIT Madras to a Microsoft veteran
Rajesh Jha, born in India, was a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in the field of computer science, and joined Microsoft in 1990. Over his 35-year career, he contributed to early products like Microsoft Works and multimedia technologies before leading major teams on Exchange, SharePoint, Outlook, Project, and the broader shift of MS Office to a cloud-based Microsoft 365 service. His leadership helped position Microsoft as a leader in AI-enhanced productivity tools.
Following Jha’s departure, Microsoft is restructuring the Experiences and Devices group by promoting four executives to report directly to CEO Satya Nadella:
– Ryan Roslansky (LinkedIn CEO, adding oversight of Office and M365 Copilot),
– Pavan Davuluri (Surface and Windows),
– Charles Lamanna (Business and Industry Copilot),
– Perry Clarke (Microsoft 365 Core).
Longtime veteran Jeff Teper has been promoted to executive vice president, while Sumit Chauhan and Kirk Koenigsbauer receive the president titles.
CEO Satya Nadella shares words of praise on Jha’s legacy at Microsoft
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella paid tribute to Jha in an internal communication, honouring him by counting him as one of the company’s most influential leaders. “When I think about the pantheon of leaders who have truly shaped this company, Rajesh stands firmly among them,” Nadella wrote. “He embodies the commitment that helped build and transform Microsoft into the company it is today, and it is on the strength of that foundation that we will continue to move forward.”
Jha, in his own memo to employees, described his tenure as an “incredible privilege” and highlighted the importance of maintaining momentum in AI initiatives like Copilot and cybersecurity. He noted that succession planning with Nadella had been underway for some time to ensure minimal disruption during the transitional phase. “I want to add that working with you all over the years, in the service of customers, has been an incredible privilege for me. I am deeply grateful,” he wrote.